I'm still trying to work through this whole DSB thing. I usually can figure stuff out, but the more I read about DSB the more confused I get. (Note to self: next life, take chem in high school or college instead of weaseling out of it.) I have read all the links I can find and browsed the "Ask Dr. Ron" forum (over on reef central).

At first, I thought that seeding a DSB with "a few" (I was thinking like 10 for my 75) pounds of LS would be enough to start the necessary processes and in 6 months or so I would have a functioning DSB.

But then I came to understand that I need some bigger critters to move the sand around (not to sift the sand, because creatures that do that are actually eating the good stuff). I am somewhat confused about what, exactly, those creatures would be.

And now I think I've learned that I actually need to seed the sand bed with little bitty creatures . . . like this:

Leaving aside the whole to DSB or not to DSB issue, do I have this right, finally? If I start with 4 inches of sugar-sized aragonite, add about 10 lbs of live sand from an existing tank, get an assortment of whatever those sand-moving-but-not-sifting creatures are, and then throw in a detritivor kit, will I have a properly-established DSB?

3-4 " of sand and seed as you mentioned. Are you getting LR? If so critters will come on that also. LS will have a bunch of critters in it.. Pods, worms ect. Have any friends with a tank. We trade sand in my reef club, how about a LFS with a mature tank buy some from him....

Yes, I'll be getting about 120 lbs. of live rock. At this point, my only source of LS is the LFS and after looking at their LR, I sort of doubt their LS is too swell. I did see some online places that have it, so I might go with that. So I don't need to order a "kit" to seed the bed? That's what I originally thought--but like I said, the more I read the more confused I get. It seems like every book/website/expert has a slightly different, often contradictory set up . . . I guess at some point one just has to stop reading and take a leap of faith!